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Uruguay v France (2018 World Cup)
| next = }} Uruguay v France was a match which took place at the on Friday 1 July 2018. Preview and teams's preparation Uruguay's in-form striker Edinson Cavani is expected to miss this match with the calf injury he suffered in their win over Portugal. Former Middlesbrough forward Cristhian Stuani is expected to be drafted in to play alongside Luis Suarez. France coach Didier Deschamps must decide who replaces the suspended Blaise Matuidi in midfield. Corentin Tolisso appears to be the front runner, having started their opening match against Australia. The quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup get underway with a fascinating clash of styles between two teams laced with world-class players. Uruguay boast the joint meanest defence along with Brazil so far, having let in just a solitary goal in four games, while France, after an insipid start, threw off the shackles in some style to eliminate Lionel Messi's Argentina. Uruguay's fearsome forward duo of Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani grab many of the headlines, but going into this match only Portugal's Pepe had managed to breach La Celeste's defence. There is no doubt, though, that France will pose an altogether different test, especially now that they look to have found their attacking élan. Kylian Mbappe's performance in the last 16 could turn out to be a seminal moment in his career. He became the first teenager since Pele in 1958 to score twice in a World Cup match. Head to head Uruguay and France are facing each other for the fourth time at a World Cup, but for the first time in the knockout stage. The last two World Cup meetings have both ended 0-0 in the group stage in 2002 and 2010. Uruguay beat the French 2-1 in 1966. The Uruguayans won the last encounter 1-0 in June 2013. Luis Suarez scored the winner in a friendly in Montevideo. France's only victory over Uruguay in eight previous matches was a 2-0 win in a friendly in Paris in August 1985. Match France are into the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2006 after seeing off Uruguay with the help of a terrible error by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. In terms of excitement, this quarter-final tie did not come close to Les Bleus' win over Argentina in the last 16 but will still be remembered for the contrasting fates of the two goalkeepers, with Hugo Lloris producing a contender for save of the tournament while his opposite number made a mistake that was even more memorable. Raphael Varane headed France into a first-half lead from a free-kick that came straight off the training field, with Antoine Griezmann checking his run before delivering the perfect cross for the Real Madrid defender to glance home. Uruguay, with injured striker Edinson Cavani failing to even make the bench, almost struck back immediately from a free-kick of their own, but Lloris produced a brilliant diving stop to deny Martin Caceres, before Diego Godin blasted the rebound over. The second half started with France continuing to control possession, but they were gifted the goal that made certain of their victory. There seemed little danger when Griezmann let fly from the edge of the area but Muslera misjudged the flight of the ball, flapped at the shot, and saw it loop slowly over the line. Uruguay, roared on by their huge travelling support, threw bodies forward in the closing stages but could not seriously trouble Lloris again. Their run of four successive victories is over, as well as their hopes of reaching the final in Moscow on 15 July. It is France who march on, and they will face neighbours Belgium in the semi-finals in St Petersburg on Tuesday. France manager Didier Deschamps has been criticised back home for his conservative tactics, but this time he got his approach exactly right. This was an efficient, rather than a spectacular, display but it was exactly what was needed against stubborn South American opposition. There were no more fireworks from Kylian Mbappe, for example, although he did waste a glorious chance to open the scoring when he badly mistimed a header. Instead, France took control of the game in midfield, found a way to hurt Uruguay from the right flank and then struck their first decisive blow from Griezmann's well-worked set-piece. France's second goal gave them breathing space, and added gloss to the scoreline, but they rarely looked troubled in any case and with defensive resilience as well as attacking flair, they will make formidable opponents to whoever they face next. Uruguay's hopes of reaching the last four of the World Cup for the first time since 2010 were always going to be hit by Cavani's enforced absence through a calf injury. While their famed defensive organisation was again evident in Nizhny Novgorod, ultimately they paid the price for having a blunted attack. Their failure to score for the first time in this tournament was not for the want of trying, however, with eight of their outfield players having attempts at goal. Noticeably, Luis Suarez was not among them, and although he charged around to try to make things happen for his side in the final third, inspiration eluded him, as it did his team-mates. Other than Caceres' header, and Godin's wild miss with the follow-up, Uruguay were largely kept at arm's length, and not even the noisy support they received from the stands could change the feeling they were simply outclassed. Details Griezmann |stadium = Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |attendance = 43,319 |referee = Néstor Pitana (Argentina) }} |valign="top"| |valign="top" width="50%"| |} Match Stats Match Stats= {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- !width=130|Overall !width=70|Uruguay !width=70|France |- !scope=row|Goals scored |0||2 |- !scope=row|Total shots |11||11 |- !scope=row|Shots on target |4||2 |- !scope=row|Ball possession |39%||61% |- !scope=row|Corner kicks |4||3 |- !scope=row|Fouls committed |17||15 |-| See also *2018 FIFA World Cup :*2018 FIFA World Cup knockout stage External links *Match report at BBC.co.uk Category:2018 FIFA World Cup Matches